Call for blood donors

MINISTER for Health and Medical Services Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete is urging all Fijians to become regular blood donors. He said the gesture would save many lives.

“We have the ability now to save patients that we haven’t been able to before because we have more knowledgeable doctors, we have better diagnostics and we have the ability to be able to separate blood products and give the blood products that the patient needs, and we just need to ensure that we are supporting that,” he said.

“We need blood for our loved ones. Everyone in Fiji could need blood at some stage in their life so it’s important that they donate blood. He added that those who donated blood should not only do it once but do it regularly.

“As treatment of our very sick patients become more complex, the use of different types of blood production should come to the fore.

“The blood that we give comes from fellow Fijians, so there are people who have been faithful blood donors, some have passed on and we have to replace that. If you can and you are healthy, please donate blood.”